A Perfect Love
by IncognitoMan1-2-3-4
Summary: A series of one-shots depicting the everyday lives of Krillin and Eighteen.
1. Scrapbook

_**A PERFECT LOVE**_

 **A/N: Hello there! This is a one-shot I originally posted on my old K18 story, "True Love Waits." This was the only one-shot I felt completely happy with, which is why I'm reposting it on my new story for all you amazing people! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.**

 _ **Scrapbook**_

* * *

They attentively watched the countless raindrops fall from above. A vast army of dark, grey clouds had completely invaded the endless skies overhead. The swift showers had descended very unexpectedly. Thankfully for Krillin and Eighteen, they found shelter in the form of a towering oak tree. It's stoic branches protected them from the downpour.

Despite the rain, it still made for a picturesque view. The bright and vibrant colours of the flowers which were scattered around the park were nothing short of captivating. The raindrops caused a multitude of ripples to form by the stream which travelled underneath a nearby footbridge. The harmonious melody sung by the choir of birds on the branches was soothing to the soul. Nevertheless, the beautiful scenery meant nothing to either Eighteen or Krillin if they didn't have each other to share the moment.

Neither of them knew how their hands suddenly became intertwined. It had become the natural response for them to take comfort in even the smallest touch. In the corner of Eighteen's sharp, blue eyes, she could see a content smile crawl across Krillin's face. His smile was contagious; she wouldn't confess it but Eighteen found even his smallest grin adorable. Soon enough, the gap between Krillin and Eighteen became non-existent. With a beaming smile on his face, Krillin closed his eyes and gently rested his head on Eighteen's shoulder. She warmly welcomed the gesture with a soft squeeze of the hand. Right now, everything was perfect.

They had only been a couple for around two months and yet, they were so grateful to simply be in each other's presence. They were so thankful that they could count on one another through their joys and their pains. They knew in their hearts that what they had was truly special and they dared never to take it or each other for granted.

The pounding raindrops successfully breached past the wall of leaves overhead. Krillin instinctually lifted his sleepy head off Eighteen's shoulder and wiped away the wet patches that landed on him. He knew he would have fallen asleep if it wasn't for the ice cold splashes that attacked his face. He turned to find Eighteen rummaging through her shopping bag.

"Is everything okay, Eighteen?" Krillin asked curiously before an uncontrollable yawn followed. He doubted anything in her shopping bag would be useful to protect them in this weather.

"I'm just making sure none of my new clothes get soaked." Eighteen replied. She was fairly protective over her possessions, especially the things that were precious to her. In this case, she didn't want the purchases Krillin had generously bought for her to be ruined before she even got the chance to wear them. She had offered to pay for them, but Krillin was insistent that he was going to treat her. And it wasn't as if the clothes were cheap.

Eighteen remembered asking him earlier on at the mall, "How do you have the money to pay for this stuff?" It wasn't as if Krillin had a job or anything. He simply replied, "I'm just a really good saver." Eighteen accepted his answer; he was very careful with finances, which was something she greatly appreciated. In fact, when she thought about it, Krillin didn't allow her to pay for anything, even his own acquisitions.

Thankfully, none of the rain had got into her clothing, as the deep sigh of relief signified. Krillin decided to check if his items were dry. Unfortunately, he wasn't so lucky.

"Oh no!" Krillin exclaimed in disappointment. Eighteen immediately rushed over to look at the damage. Krillin's new scrapbook was soaking wet. He found the book slightly open in the middle; Krillin mentally smacked himself for his negligence. He carefully took the book out of the bag to flick through the empty pages. The paper was quite creased and fragile. He wasn't sure if the book was even usable now.

"The rest of your stuff is dry." Eighteen reported in an effort to cheer him up. The big scrapbook had shielded the rest of his items from the rain. It was a sacrifice Krillin knew was unnecessary. He placed the book nonchalantly on his lap; it wouldn't have mattered to him so much if he had chosen the book.

He recalled to mind how it caught Eighteen's eye in a stall at the mall. Krillin had been on an unsuccessful hunt for a scrapbook. No matter where he searched, he couldn't find one that he would deem as 'special'. He was pleasantly surprised when Eighteen found the scarlet red cover so enticing.

"Why did you want the scrapbook anyway?" Eighteen asked, with her arm hugging Krillin's back. Eighteen's comforting touch brought a flicking smile on Krillin's face, only for it to quickly fade. She didn't understand why Krillin was this upset over a scrapbook.

"You're gonna think it's silly." Krillin answered with a tone of shyness.

"Okay." Eighteen responded with a playful smirk, pulling her arm away. Her reaction had Krillin slightly startled.

"However," she continued, maintaining her cool demeanour, "how would I know if your reasoning is stupid if you don't say why?" Krillin couldn't deny Eighteen's infallible logic.

"How does she always manage to get the answers she wants in these situations?" Krillin hopelessly thought to himself. He could only dream that he had that ability. Krillin then turned to face her and cautiously revealed his answer.

"Ok, I'll tell you. The reason I got the scrapbook was so that we could look back on our time together from dates. We could have had photos of us together and little souvenirs to keep from wherever we went. I know it's a cliché, but the time I spend with you is the most precious and if I ever had a bad day, I would have had that book to remind me of the many great memories that we have shared and will share."

Krillin was attempting to hide his blushed cheeks. But he was doing as miserably a job as Eighteen. Krillin's answer left her stunned. The fact that Krillin valued their time together so much brought such joy to her heart. It was something Eighteen already knew, yet the gesture only deepened her understanding.

"That's the sweetest thing, Krillin." Eighteen gently whispered, taking the scrapbook from his lap and gently placing it onto hers. She patiently flicked through the empty pages, picturing the countless memories that she knew would completely cover everything inch of paper inside. The soft stroke of her hair highlighted to Krillin that she liked his idea, a lot. It was often a subtle sign that showed she was touched by a gesture; a sign he only saw her show to him.

"Maybe we could get a new scrapbook the next time we-"

"Don't!" Eighteen urgently interjected, "This one is just perfect." Placing the scrapbook on the ground, she gazed at the little man beside her. Eighteen deeply admired Krillin's thoughtfulness. He always expressed his feelings for her in the most heartfelt, selfless, and imaginative ways. Eighteen wished to offer something in return. And she knew exactly what it was.

Eighteen had wanted to say it for a little while. The opportunities were there to say it in the past, but a mixture of pride and fear prevented the words from being spoken. This time, however, that wasn't the case. Eighteen wasn't afraid.

She stared intensely into Krillin's eyes. It was a stare that he embraced with a radiant smile. Eighteen could feel the words trying their best to escape her lips. She gave herself a moment to breathe; this was the perfect time to release her intimate confession.

Krillin's eyes expanded massively. Did he mishear? Was he caught in another one of his dreams? Or could it be that Eighteen, the most important and amazing person in his life, just uttered those three words?

" _ **Y-you love me**_?" Krillin giddily repeating Eighteen's admission. He placed a hand on his chest; he was sure his heart was going to leap out due to its rapid pounding.

"Yes, Krillin." Eighteen confirmed with a joyful expression, " _ **I love you**_." Krillin became overwhelmed with happiness as he allowed the tears to descend down his face. He didn't care if he looked like a fool; the woman of his dreams had confessed her love for him and that was all that mattered to him right now.

"I don't understand." Eighteen softly remarked.

"Uhh?" Krillin replied, wiping away his tears of joy.

"Why does telling you that I love you cause you to cry?" Eighteen enquired curiously. If she was truly honest with herself, this wasn't the reaction she had expected to see. She knew that these weren't tears of sadness, but she was a little bewildered.

Krillin took a deep breath, trying to recompose himself. He understood why Eighteen asked the question. He knew his answer would be a vulnerable one. However, considering how Eighteen had spoken of her feelings for him, it more than warranted an explanation.

"Well, er- Eighteen. Believe it or not, you're actually the first person to say those words to me." Eighteen quietly gasped in disbelief. Surely that wasn't true. Surely someone else in Krillin's life had said such a thing before her. Not that she minded being the first person to say that to Krillin. She just couldn't believe that she was the first person to say "I love you" to him.

"That's why I need to ask, do you mean it?" Krillin nervously questioned. Eighteen's shock quickly turned into confusion.

"Are you really doubting that I love you?" Eighteen answered with a slightly stern tone.

"No, not at all!" Krillin quickly returned, dismissing such a thought, "It's just, I don't want you to say something that you don't really-" Krillin's voice fell completely silent at Eighteen raised hand.

"Krillin. I would only say something like this if I knew in my heart that I truly, truly meant it. I'm not someone who will say something for the sake of it. You know this." Eighteen placed her hand on Krillin's burning cheek. She could feel a wet, yet refreshing tear crawl on her fingertip. Krillin let loose a sigh of relief. How could he have briefly allowed doubt to even enter his mind?

"So, Krillin," Eighteen tenderly continued, "when I say I love you, please know that I mean it. And I do mean it. _**I really, really love you**_."

Krillin pulled Eighteen closer to him. The tears stopped falling but his joy only grew. His body tingled uncontrollably at the lack of distance between himself and Eighteen. They both allowed the inevitable to happen.

Their lips pressed against each other as their arms were tightly wrapped around each other. Exhilaration firmly took hold of them; their kisses were laced with love and were swiftly becoming more passionate. Eighteen and Krillin barely notice that the setting sun had conquered the grey storm clouds. A sharp ray of light pierced through the wet leaves, acting as a spotlight on the couple. Its heat was warm and comforting, reflected in the intense kisses they shared.

Krillin and Eighteen separated to give each other a chance to breathe again. They both giggled quietly to themselves; neither of them could deny that they enjoyed their moments of passion. Eighteen moved slightly closer to Krillin; she couldn't be far from him for very long. Suddenly, in the distance, he spotted it. Without warning, Krillin rapidly rose to his feet and ran as fast as he could towards it. Eighteen didn't even get a chance to ask where he was going.

"What is he doing?" Eighteen thought to herself. Her eyes were glued to his every movement. She knew Krillin could be very spontaneous, particularly when it came to romance. It was one of the many reasons she loved him.

"Here it is!" Krillin exclaimed, not realising the family beside him, looking at him with bemused expressions. The flower was even more beautiful up close. Its petals were fragile, but, its enticing blue colours and its sweet fragrance were a treat to the senses. The colour of the flower reminded Krillin of Eighteen's sharp, yet, breathtaking eyes. He delicately pulled the flower from the soil and raced back to Eighteen.

"What was that all about?" She asked with a hint of confusion. Krillin carefully met Eighteen at her level on the ground before saying, in a slightly regretful tone,

"I only wished I had told you this sooner." He then unveiled the beautiful flower to Eighteen. She gasped in delight at the sight of the flower. As Eighteen gently caressed its soft, blue petals, Krillin cleared his throat and confidently declared,

"Eighteen, _**I love you**_."

It might have been the way he said it. It may have been the gesture beforehand. But Eighteen found herself with an unexplainable bliss in her heart which reflected in the tears she released. She had cried tears of sadness, but never for joy.

This was a new experience for Eighteen; this was also the first time that somebody told her that they loved her. She never thought that she would need or want to hear those words. Besides, Eighteen knew that Krillin loved her because his actions repeatedly displayed it. However, hearing those words come out of Krillin's mouth was exactly what she needed right now. She squeezed Krillin tightly, hoping the moment would last forever. There was indescribable warmth they felt from the embrace. An inner glow they hoped would never leave them.

Eighteen looked at the flower in her hand, hoping that she didn't squash it in the embrace. Her eyes then shifted to something on the ground; the reason for these chain of events. As the two broke apart, Eighteen reached for the scarlet scrapbook and planted the flower inside the opening page.

"You didn't need to do that." Krillin gleefully said, taking hold of Eighteen's hand.

"Yes, I did." Eighteen responded with a tender smile, "I never, ever, want to forget this day. I know that this is going to be a great memory for me and you to look back on someday."

Krillin softly pecked Eighteen's cheek in agreement; today was simply too important not to forget.

 _ **THE END**_


	2. Arm Wrestle

_**A PERFECT LOVE**_

 ** _A/N: This was my entry into this year's Chestnut Fest for K18 day! I had a ton of fun writing this one-shot! I admit it's a long one. But I hope you'll stick around. Without further ado, let's begin..._**

 _ **Arm Wrestle**_

* * *

"AHH! I can't believe you beat me again!" Eighteen bellowed with a theatrical tone in her voice. Marron couldn't contain the joyous excitement within her as she victoriously punched the air. Her exhilarated delight swiftly spread onto her mother in the form of a soft smile.

"Let's play again, Mommy!" Marron requested, eagerly bouncing on the spot. Eighteen didn't take much convincing, replying in an instant,

"Alright! But this is seriously the last time, okay?"

Marron rapidly bobbed her head to her mother's concession. Mostly because this was the fifth "last time" Eighteen had stated in a row, paired with the fact that they had been playing this game almost non-stop throughout the afternoon heading into the evening.

Eighteen had Goten and Trunks to thank for introducing Marron to the world of arm wrestling. Gladly fulfilling the role of the avid spectator, Marron would passionately cheer and clap for whoever was on the winning side during the young Saiyans fierce bouts for supremacy. Most of their encounters climaxed with both of their hair beginning to flicker into a certain golden hue before Chi-Chi and Bulma would be forced to sternly calm their sons down and put them in their place.

Naturally, the arm wrestling craze found its way into the Chestnut household, with both Krillin and Eighteen taking turns in being Marron's opponent. The result from each fight would mostly end in the same way: Marron would claim victory over whichever parent she was wrestling against. Not that either of them cared too much about losing; seeing their daughter rejoicing over her triumphs would forever be a win in their eyes.

"Are you ready to lose?" Eighteen playfully teased, readying herself for the next round. Marron scrunched her face together, responding with great confidence,

"Lose? I don't know the meaning of the word."

Eighteen rebuked the temptation to chuckle at her daughter's tough girl facade as she firmly placing her right arm on the dining table. Marron followed suit, tightly clasping onto her mother's hand, attempting to gain an early foothold.

Marron put all of her strength into winning the arm wrestle as speedily as she possibly could. But Eighteen refused to make things too easy for her daughter. She saw these arm wrestles as an opportunity to actually test her daughter's strength.

"Is that all you got?" Marron goaded with a straining voice. Eighteen retaliated by pushing back her daughter's arm with relative ease. Grinding her teeth together in desperation, Marron continued to persevere. She was determined to win, no matter what.

Yet, despite her valiant efforts, Eighteen could see her daughter was struggling to fight back. Her flushed cheeks, sweat covered forehead, and relentless panting showed that Marron couldn't carry on for much longer. Releasing a sigh both gentle and satisfied, Eighteen gradually loosened her strength, allowing Marron to pin her arm to the surface of the table.

"WOOHOO! I win again!" Marron cheered breathlessly, summoning enough energy to frantically race around the living room. Eighteen gladly sat back on the couch and observed her daughter take her victory laps with a relaxed grin.

Although she had to restrain much of her strength during their arm wrestles, Eighteen was pleased by Marron's tenacity, her relentless drive to win and her natural level of power. In fact, the more these bouts continued, the more Eighteen entertained the idea of her daughter maybe becoming a fighter some day.

Marron's celebrations came to a sudden halt as she heard the faint jingling of keys over by the entrance of the house. Anticipation led Marron's rapid footsteps to the front door. Hopping lightly on her toes, she could hardly wait to tell her father of her latest triumphs. Triumphs that Krillin never grew tired of hearing about.

"Hi, Daddy!" Marron enthusiastically welcomed her father into the house.

"Hey, Marron!" Krillin replied, giving his daughter a gentle tussle on her head, "How was your day?"

"Good!" Marron gleefully returned, as she started to detail how well she performed in arm wrestling. Krillin paid close attention to the barrage of words that his daughter was firing off. This gave Eighteen a chance to join the two of them by the wide entrance. She leaned her body on the wall, attentively listening along to her daughter's in-depth report of the day's events.

"… and so then I thought that I was about to lose for sure. But then, somehow, I managed to push Mommy arm back and beat her again. "Isn't that cool?"

"That definitely is cool," Krillin proudly replied, "especially since your mother can be quite the formidable opponent when it comes to these games. Speaking of which, how's your day been?"

"I think this little one here has pretty much covered everything you needed to hear." Eighteen answered contently.

"Fair enough." Krillin returned with a quick shrug as he made his way towards the living room.

For Krillin, nothing could beat the feeling of coming home from a hard day's work, planting himself onto his comfy couch, and be greeted by his loving family. He certainly needed it after the mess he had to deal with down at the police station.

"Why can't criminals just be honest about their misadventures and stop being so argumentative and troublesome once they're caught?" He helplessly wondered in his mind, "It would certainly make my job a hell of a lot easier."

Eighteen accompanied her husband on the sofa, observing him rub his tiresome eyes. She declined to prevent the endearing smile that effortlessly crawled across her lips. Eighteen never quite understood how, even when Krillin was doing the most ordinary things imaginable, he caused her to feel so content and at ease. It was a mystery she was perfectly happy to leave unsolved if it meant she could continue to feel that way.

Eighteen's gaze was soon averted by the sound of Marron dashing from the kitchen to deliver two ice-cold glasses of water for her parents to drink. Krillin looked up just in time to see the chilling refreshments reach their destination on the dining table in front of him and Eighteen.

"Aww! Thank you, Marron." Krillin gratefully stated, lifting his glass from the table, "This is exactly what I needed." As Krillin gulped his drink down in one go, Eighteen opted to take much smaller sips; she was in no rush to finish her drink, unlike her husband.

Choosing to make herself comfortable on one of the floor mats beside the dining table, Marron saw this as the appropriate moment to reveal a question which had been tirelessly bouncing around in her head,

"I have a question, Mommy!"

"What is it, honey?"

"Well, I have beaten you both you and Daddy at arm wrestling loads and loads of times now, right?'

"Right?"

"So, I was wondering. Who do you think would win in an arm wrestle: you or Daddy?"

"Oh! I think I would win." Eighteen answered without hesitation, delicately placing her refreshment back on to the dining table.

"Are you so sure about that?" Krillin responded urgently, offering his wife a generous opportunity to change her answer. His perplexed frown clearly indicated his disapproval of his wife's self-assured tone. Eighteen readjusted herself to face Krillin directly as she offered an amended response,

"Let me rephrase that: I think it would be close between us. However, I believe I would ultimately come out as the winner."

"Okay, Eighteen. I love you and everything and I'll admit, you're right about most things in life. That's why I can't quite understand why you have come to that conclusion so quickly." Krillin returned, softly tapping his fingers on his empty glass.

"Oh, come on. Quit fooling around." Eighteen advised her husband, preparing to finish her beverage, "You know I'm a lot stronger than you."

"In hand-to-hand combat, sure. But with arm wrestling, it's a totally different game your playing."

"Seriously, Krillin? You're telling me that a one-on-one fight is 'totally different' than an arm wrestle?"

"Err, sure."

Marron could sense the growing tension between her parents. Her eyes carefully studied their body language, curiously observing what was going to happen next.

"Alright, why don't we test your little theory?" Eighteen proposed, followed swiftly by a mischievous smirk. The ringing sound of Eighteen positioning her empty glass on the floor only added to the atmosphere.

"W-what are you saying?" Krillin retorted with a tone of apprehension. Lightly scratching the back of his head, he had a nervous suspicion as to where Eighteen was taking this conversation.

"I'm saying that we should have an arm wrestle, right here, right now."

"Umm, really? Like, right now?"

"Didn't you hear me, sweetie?" Eighteen sarcastically taunted, tilting her head onto her left shoulder. Krillin's face quickly drained of colour; he could see in the sharp gleam of his wife's eyes that she wasn't kidding around.

"W-well, I've just come back from a long, hard day's work, catching criminals and whatnot." Krillin reasoned, clearly trying to cover up his nervousness, "So I'm not gonna be at full strength."

"HAHAHA! Oh, Krillin!" Eighteen chuckled softly at her husband's reply. She wasn't in any way fooled by Krillin's attempts to back out of her proposition.

"What? Why are you laughing?" Krillin curiously quizzed his wife. Irritation rapidly spread across his face as Eighteen's chuckle increased in both volume and intensity. This was a rare occasion where Krillin wasn't at all pleased to see Eighteen laughing at his antics. As a matter of fact, she was laughing for much longer compared to when he purposely joked around. At least, that's what it felt like to him. Gradually calming her laughter down, Eighteen remarked coolly,

"That's one of the funniest things I've heard from you in a long time. Your excuses really do crack me up sometimes."

"It's most certainly not an excuse." Krillin firmly protested, watching Eighteen gracefully pounce away from the couch.

She was quickly breaking Krillin's defences down; it was only a matter of time before he would give in to the pressure she was smartly applying.

Eighteen abruptly paused herself directly opposite her husband. The dining table operated as a barrier between the couple. She slowly knelt down on a floor mat, before offering an enticing blow,

"To be perfectly honest, I think you're just scared." Her icy delivery perfectly matched her chilling stare.

"N-no. What do I have to be afraid of?" Krillin objected in growing agitation to his wife's implication, "If anything, you would be under much more pressure, being that you're considerably stronger than I am." Eighteen intensely refuted such claims with a firm reproach,

"That is ridiculous and you know it."

"OKAY! I've heard enough from you two!" Marron spontaneously erupted, "Now, are you guys gonna keep on blabbering or am I going to see some arm wrestling?!" She had wisely decided to remain silent throughout her parents' exchange, cautiously analysing them to see whether or not an arm wrestle was truly on the cards. It seemed obvious to her now that she was finally about to get her wish.

"Well, I know I'm up for the challenge." Eighteen promptly responded with eagerness, "How about you, Krillin? Are you gonna prove your more than just talk or are you gonna wimp out?" An audible groan trailed directly behind him as Krillin urgently looked away from his wife and daughter.

He recognised that for all his earlier talk, his chances of actually defeating Eighteen in an arm wrestle were very marginal. It would take some kind of miracle to overcome such a ruthless opponent. Although, he couldn't deny his inner desire to prove himself and his wife wrong. It could actually prove to be an accurate barometer as to how strong he had become since resuming his training again. He wasn't going to allow fear to cripple him in the face of opportunity. With a renewed sense of confidence, Krillin boldly accepted the challenge,

"Okay, Eighteen! You're on!"

"HOORAY!" Marron exclaimed rapturously, as her father positioned himself unto the floor. He began to flex his arms in preparation for the upcoming contest. He was going to need all the strength he could muster if he was going to come out on top. His stretches caught his wife's attention, asking with bewilderment,

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm just stretching. Because unlike somebody here, I don't have unlimited stamina. So I'm just preparing myself." Krillin wasn't wrong; Eighteen had a huge advantage over him when it came to endurance. What he hoped would become the deciding factor was his tactical ability. Once he had his plan figured out, Krillin took a deep breath and gripped unto his wife's opposite hand.

"Don't expect me to go easy on you, globe head." Eighteen teased expressively. Krillin refused to let such an obvious bald joke slide so easily,

"Well, don't think you've already won the battle, babe."

"What? That wasn't even an insult."

"I know that!" Krillin returned hastily, "You know I'm no good at trash talk."

"Hey! Are you two ready yet?" Marron announced impatiently. Krillin and Eighteen synchronically nodded their heads in approval as they gradually turned to face each other, trying their hardest to put each other off with their intimidating stares.

They were wholly focused on their opponent. It was as if time itself had come to a halt just for this event; like everything around them instantaneously faded away into nonexistence. Because all that mattered to them right now was this moment. All that mattered was who was going to be the victor.

With a sudden clearing of her throat, Marron sounded the beginning of the arm wrestle,

"3-2-1… WRESTLE!"

Eighteen immediately gained the upper hand, forcing her husband to react expeditiously to her offensive strategy. Her rapid start almost caused him to lose the clash before it even started. Krillin strained to force his arm back up, but it appeared to be futile. It was as if Eighteen's arm had transformed into an immovable mountain in his path, whilst his arm quivered like jelly. Surely, it was an inevitability before his arm would hit the table.

"What's the point?" He resigned in deep frustration, "How on earth am I supposed to win now?" The urge to throw in the towel and end the fight was rapidly becoming a viable option for him. Yet, as he turned his head towards his daughter, he soon realised that kind of mentality wouldn't send the right message for her. A brief grin snuck onto his face as he heard Marron cheer buoyantly,

"Go Daddy! Go Mommy! Go Daddy! Go Mommy!"

Eighteen caught the smile which had now vanished from her husband's lips; she sensed something was beginning to brew within him. Maybe now, she could expect a real fight compared to what was currently being presented to her.

Soon enough, the gap between Krillin's arm and the dining table started to widen. Briskly casting aside his self-doubts, he pushed forward with much more conviction and power.

"Now this is more like it." She thought to herself, pleased by Krillin's refusal to give up. Despite this, she wasn't going to hand over the victory to him. Far from it.

As Marron's chanting swelled with excitement, Krillin tactically inched his elbow closer to his opponent's. His swift movement startled Eighteen; she could feel her grip loosening fast.

Krillin couldn't contain the nervous euphoria surrounding him. He was getting closer and closer to a shock victory. He even gained his daughter's support,

"COME ON DADA! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!" He was almost there. All he needed to do was to push himself a little more.

"I'm going to win this!" Krillin mentally repeated to himself, as if he was reciting a religious mantra. His smile widened. His eyes flashed. His heart vigorously pounded. The victory was surely inches away from him now. However, inches away from victory was still recognised as a defeat. Before Krillin knew it, Eighteen had unexpectedly pinned his arm to the table.

"YAY! Well done Momma!" Marron joyously congratulated Eighteen for her victory. After giving her daughter a brief high-five, she shifted her attention to her devastated opponent,

"It looks like I won, honey. As expected of course." Eighteen gloated smugly.

Krillin was in a state of shock. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. He was sure he had won. There was no possible way he should have lost. Except, that was exactly what Eighteen was counting on.

She knew that her husband's surprise to how well he was performing would lead to misplaced arrogance, which in itself would lead to a lack of concentration. All she needed to do was soak up the pressure and wait for the perfect moment to strike.

Blankly staring at the dining table, Krillin was slowly accepting his cruel defeat. He could at least be proud by just how close he had come. At least he wanted to be. Except, that same burning desire he felt before was still unquenched; he knew he was far from finished.

"Hmm. I mean you have been practicing with Marron throughout the day, so…" Krillin childishly sulked, slowly wiping away the lingering sweat from his brow.

"What's that suppose to mean, Krillin?" Eighteen sharply retorted, finely squinting her eyes at him. Krillin nervously gulped and stammered at his wife's agitated glare. Shivers would always crawl up his spine whenever her eyes pierced at him like that.

He could have avoided his wife's annoyance if he had simply taken the loss with a bit of dignity, instead of coming up with the first excuse that clumsily popped out of his head. In the vain hope that he could appease his wife, Krillin presented a cautious clarification:

"I-I'm just trying to say that I would consider that round to be something of a warm-up. That's all." A muted chuckle escaped Eighteen's breath. Her husband's excuses reminded her of when she and Krillin lived together at Kame House.

While she would normally consider herself and Krillin to be fairly mature people, she could easily recall how their maturity would conveniently disappear in the name of 'friendly competition'. They were both equally guilty when it came to being overly competitive. Neither of them were very good losers; Master Roshi could attest to that.

"Well then, since you're all warmed up now, why don't we have ourselves a rematch?" Eighteen chillingly proposed as her fingers patiently danced around the dining table. Eighteen understood that the wiser choice was to take the win and quit. But where was the fun in that?

"Wait?! Are you two about to have a rematch?!" Marron called loudly from the kitchen, finishing to clean her parents' empty glasses. She was ecstatic to hear her father's sudden reply,

"You bet!"

"Don't you dare start without me!" Marron echoed with enthusiasm. In great anticipation for her parents' next encounter, she eagerly charged from the kitchen to claim her seat on her floor mat.

Krillin had already set his arm in place, wishing to waste no time and get right back into the action. Eighteen chose to take her time, offering a passing taunt to her husband as she calmly rested her chin on her cupped hands:

"I take it you're not going to stretch this time?" Her remark appeared to have fallen upon deaf ears, as Krillin declined to offer any form of retaliation. He was just trying to zone her out as best he could; he wasn't going to tangle himself up in her mind games.

Rolling her eyes in disappointment with her husband's sudden seriousness, she clutched unto Krillin's hand, signalling the beginning of their next bout.

Deciding to take a more level-headed approach into this round, Krillin was determined not to allow his emotions to get the better of him. His renewed attitude was instantly rewarded by a more evenly matched start to the wrestle.

Eighteen was pleasantly surprised by the firm resistance her husband was exhibiting. Despite the odds, he was putting on a good fight. But neither of them were using all of their strength yet. They were both choosing to play their cards close to the chest and hold out for the long haul. At least, that's what Eighteen assumed.

Without remorse, Krillin nimbly adjusted his elbow rightwards, giving himself a strategic edge. Knowing this was a similar approach to their previous fight, Krillin placed his confidence in his mental state. He was in control of his emotions. He was in control as to whether he won or lost this arm wrestle.

Eighteen countered by securely rooting her elbow in place. She was more than prepared to play the defensive role again in this battle. Yet, the way Krillin had positioned his arm genuinely made things awkward for her. Despite this setback, she continued to push on.

"WOW! This match is way closer than before!" Marron vehemently noted. She was deeply enthralled by the display her parents were giving. Not even she could tell who was going to win this round.

Firmly deadlocked, Krillin unleashed a set of frustrated and tiresome grunts. The adrenaline furiously pumping around his body was causing his arm to wobble under the intense pressure he was under. No matter how much force he was pushing with, he was getting no closer to victory. Nevertheless, he endured through the pain, taking extended, drawn-out breaths in the process.

It wasn't long until Eighteen perceived the sheer exhaustion her husband was exerting. She could see the struggle he was facing through every drop of sweat and every violent puff of his chest. Even Marron's cheers died down due to Krillin's shattered intensity. Something clearly wasn't right.

Worry suddenly gripped Eighteen. She hated the sight of her husband overworking himself. Straining to get her words out, Eighteen made her concerns known:

"G-give it up, Krillin. Don't push yourself too much." Krillin's eyes gaped open at the sound of her voice; he could see the troubled expressions on his wife and daughter. To them, he had done more than enough; he had demonstrated that he could, in fact, hold his own.

But even though they may have felt that way, that wasn't enough for him. He hadn't come this far just to lose. Slamming his eyes shut, he rejected Eighteen's plea.

"I-I'm not giving in." With that, he jolted his arm forward, giving everything he could to overcome his greatest opponent; himself.

Eighteen sensed that this was quickly becoming more than just a game for Krillin. This was something personal for him. For that reason, she struggled to force her arm forward anymore; something was holding her back.

Was it her admiration of his perseverance? Was it seeing him relentlessly straining to win? Or was it simply because she just found his intensity to be sort of heartwarming? Whatever the cause, she was perfectly fine with it. Soon enough, Eighteen's arm fell onto the base of the table; Krillin had actually done it.

"OH MY GOODNESS! Daddy won!" Marron cheerfully announced, rushing over to pat her father on the back.

A sudden burst of relieved laughter reverberated from the worn out monk; an overwhelming joy swept through him. He had just beaten the toughest woman on the planet in an arm wrestle, and he was going to make that perfectly clear, boasting jubilantly,

"I-I won! I actually beat you, Eighteen! I beat you!" Not knowing exactly how to celebrate his victory, Krillin allowed his instincts to take complete control. He shot up to his feet and proceeded to awkwardly dance around on the spot. Marron quickly joined him in his elation, laughing at her father's ridiculous victory dance. Not even Eighteen could keep a straight face,

"You truly are such a goon sometimes." She pondered to herself, "But thankfully, you're my goon." Eighteen continued to watch her husband bask in his triumph. She wanted him to have his little bit of fun, remaining silent in spite of his repeated confirmations that he had, in fact, beat her in a friendly game of arm wrestling,

"I am the winner! I am the winner!" Unfortunately, there was only so much gloating that Eighteen was willing to put up with,

"Yeah, I get it. You won. But only because you cheated." Her claim certainly captured Krillin's attention. Rooting himself next to his wife, he requested an explanation for her bold insinuation:

"Hold on. How did I cheat exactly?" It was at that moment that Eighteen realised that she couldn't just say that he cheated without any form of basis for her reasoning. Thankfully for her, thinking on her feet was something of a speciality,

"You only beat me because your adorable stare was putting me off." Eighteen's soft reply caught her husband off-guard. A slight touch of red splashed his cheeks as he stared into Eighteen's limpid blue eyes.

"Wait, are you serious?" Krillin asked with a hint of hesitation.

"Yeah! Of course." Eighteen calmly answered, "How could I possibly resist your precious little dimples, along with your warm, brown eyes?"

Krillin granted that his instincts should take over once again, taking a hold of his wife's hand. It earnestly meant the world to him when Eighteen complemented him. It was just a shame that the best lies always had a hint of truth in them.

"That's actually really sweet of yo-. Wait a second. I ain't falling for that!" Snapping back into reality, he released his hand from his wife's limp grip, dramatically turning his back on a now alarmed Eighteen.

"What do you mean? That's the truth!" She reaffirmed, trying to place her hand on Krillin's shoulder. Ignoring her attempts of affection, he called upon the help of an impartial party to uncover the truth of the situation,

"Okay! Marron, what do you think? Is Mummy telling the truth or is she lying to me?" Marron energetically rose from the ground, taking small steps to where her mother was sitting. Proceeding to follow in her father's footsteps, she attentively examined her mother's body language as she gently massaged her chin. Eighteen remained as perfectly composed; she wasn't planning on receiving a lecture from both her husband and her daughter about her actions. As Marron finished her investigation, she travelled to the centre of the room, intending to deliver her verdict:

"I believe that Mommy is lying!"

"Marron?!" Eighteen bellowed in dismay, bemused that Marron had taken her father's side, even though it was the truth. Leaping away from his wife, Krillin expressed his gratitude for Marron's stern decision-making,

"Thank you for your unbiased call there. I was almost taken for a fool."

Casting her eyes to the floor, Eighteen couldn't help but feel slightly culpable for not just admitting that her husband had beaten her equitably. Maybe it was her old competitive nature kicking back into gear. Then again, he had been excessively celebrating a little too much for her liking. And now she had been caught red-handed, her husband requested a clear admission from her:

"Just confess, honey! I beat you fair and square!" Eighteen looked up at Krillin as he playfully smirked at her. She knew that it was for the best to just get it out of the way. It was just unfortunate for Krillin that Eighteen was now in the mood for a little revenge of her own,

"Fine! You beat me fair and square. Now, let's just stop arguing about this and have one more round to decide who the true champion is between us!"

"Yeah! Come on, Daddy!" Marron ebulliently agreed with her mother's proposition.

"No way!" Krillin immediately returned, folding his arms in defiance to both of their wishes, "I'm more than happy to call it a night and walk away with my well-deserved victory!"

He was just as shocked as everyone else that he even managed to beat Eighteen in the first place. And judging by not only her tone of voice but her expressive mannerisms, Eighteen was resolute to prove that his win was nothing more than a fluke. Irrespective, he wasn't going to budge; there was nothing Eighteen or Marron could say that could convince him to change his mind.

"How about a wager, then?" Eighteen blurted out in desperation. She could practically see her husband's ears peak up due to her suggestion. A defeated sigh followed as Krillin returned to the dining table,

"I'm listening."

"I have some ideas, but I think it's best to let Marron decide."

"Really, Mommy?" Marron answered with sheer delight.

"Certainly! Don't you agree, babe?"

How the tables had turned on Krillin. Not only had he been coaxed into yet another arm wrestle, but now he didn't even get to decide what punishment he got to inflict on Eighteen after he defeated her. Still, there was no escaping the puppy-like appearance on his daughter's face. He resigned to Marron's cuteness with a compliant nod.

Gratefully, Krillin and Eighteen didn't have to wait long to hear their daughter's suggestions. But if her smile hinted at anything, it was that these forfeits were going to be cruel,

"Okay! If Mommy wins, then Daddy has to show off his victory dance the next time we visit auntie Bulma's house."

"Ooooh! That's a good one!" Eighteen added, observing Krillin's sudden shriek of terror. His dance moves were for his family and for his family only. Even the very thought of him having to dance around as Vegeta and Bulma gawked at him sent goosebumps across his body.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice but to accept." Krillin hopelessly rationalised, trying to get the image of potential embarrassment out of his head, "So what happens if Daddy wins?"

"If Daddy wins, then the next time we go shopping, Mommy isn't allowed to spend any money on herself; she can only buy presents for myself and for Daddy." Krillin could definitely get behind that forfeit, especially since it almost caused Eighteen to faint out of sheer horror. Who knew their daughter was capable of such brutality?

"Now that's just downright mean." Eighteen stated, shaking her head at Marron's mischievous giggling, "However, if there is still the possibility of watching your father make a total ass out of himself, then it's worth the risk."

"You just better be prepared to get me some new weights once I beat you." Krillin confidently remarked, wiggling his eyebrows around.

"We'll just see about that."

With the forfeits settled, Krillin and Eighteen set their arms in place for the final round. Marron climbed onto the couch to spectate this decisive encounter. There was only one thing she was concerned about: Who was going to be the Ultimate Chestnut Arm Wrestling Champion?

The sound of the firm collision of their hands pulsated around the house as they both started on the attack. Neither of them were prepared to face the gruelling punishments that their daughter had set up for them. The effervescent support from Marron was beginning to fall into the background; Krillin and Eighteen were going to give everything they had to win this contest.

The match lasted much longer than expected. The lucent moon now stood gallantly amongst the distant stars in the night sky. Not that Krillin or Eighteen particularly noticed the passing of the evening taking place outside of their window.

Despite all of their straining and their struggling, there was still no clear victor.

Eighteen had imitated her husband's techniques by appropriately shifting her elbow with the intention to overwhelm her stubborn opponent. But it didn't do her many favours since Krillin knew how to defend against it. Things weren't much better for him either. The longer this bout went on, the wearier he was becoming. At this rate, Eighteen would defeat him on endurance alone.

Despite this, it seemed as if she didn't want to finish the job. And if he was honest with himself, if he had the chance, neither would he.

They could tell by their passing glances that this arm wrestle had lost its original purpose. Time certainly had its influence in this, but it wasn't the main factor. Because behind all the playful banter and competitive undertones, they were both secretly content with each other's performance.

"H-hey, Eighteen." Krillin unexpectedly murmured.

"What is it?" Eighteen returned, keeping her eyes focused on her wrestling arm, "You better not be trying to distract me."

"I'm not. But have you noticed that it's gone really quiet in here?" The only audible sound that could be heard was the droning buzz of their ageing refrigerator.

"Yeah, so what?" Krillin let out a small sigh at his wife's unawareness.

"Well, what's happened to Marron?"

"What do you mea-"

Tracing where Krillin's free hand was pointing, it was now obvious to her why the house had become so still. Marron was fast asleep on the couch. As they listened closer, they could just about detect a faint snore coming from their daughter's mouth.

"Uh, what do you know." Eighteen whispered gently. It was pretty ironic that the person who had kicked off this arm wrestling business was now curled up in a ball, peacefully snoring away. Gingerly swerving his head to look at the window, Krillin gasped in amazement by just how rapidly the evening had elapsed:

"Have we seriously been arm wrestling for that long?"

"I guess we have."

Their eyes returned back to their clammy hands, which were still tightly interlocked. Astonishingly, neither of them had attempted to take advantage and win the contest. They had simply stopped pushing. There was no need to anymore. Of course, it would have been funny to see their spouse partake in a forfeit. But they knew it wasn't necessary. Locking their eyes at each other, they let out an amicable surrender:

"It's a tie."

They both remained seated opposite one another, feeling as if a weight had seamlessly floated off from their shoulders. It actually gave them both a chance to catch their breath back, especially Krillin, who could feel the irritating heat from his cheeks ebbing away. He casually sat up on his knees, ready to ask his wife the query which was on his mind,

"Now you got to admit it. I gave you a bit of a challenge there, didn't I?"

"I guess you were a bit tougher than I had predicted." Eighteen replied with a comforting calmness, gently stroking her thumb across his fist, "It's good to see that the training equipment we bought is still showing its worth."

"Well, you know I gotta be strong for my girls. You two are more important to me than anything in the world." Her lips instantly mirrored her husband's sincere smile. Eighteen made it no secret; she utterly adored how protective Krillin was over her and their daughter.

"By the way, I'm sorry that I got a bit serious earlier." Krillin added as his content smile abruptly faded, "It's just, I dunno. I always feel like I have to prove myself and I-"

Eighteen immediately raised her hand to silence his voice. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. He wasn't required to explain himself to her. Eighteen understood her husband like the back of her own hand. She knew all about his doubts and his trials.

"It's fine. I understand, sweetie." She answered with elegance, squeezing his hand once more. Any sign of insecurity vanished from him as she lovingly added,

"I'm proud of you."

Krillin's smile quickly returned back to him. He genuinely didn't believe that Eighteen recognised just how much her encouragement meant to him. Krillin often wondered to himself how she possessed her gift to eradicate his doubts with only her words. He wanted to repay her the only way he knew how:

"You know, if you're not too tired, we could settle the score in a different way." Krillin's enticing gaze, paired with his alluring tone was all it took to have Eighteen persuaded, responding without delay:

"I'm way ahead of you."

"Well then, lead the way."

Unwilling to let go of each other's hands, they silently arose from the floor, as not to disturb their daughter from her deep slumber, and made their way to the staircase.

They somehow remained composed, despite the tingling sensations they felt from within. It still astounded them that even after their many years of marriage, they still behaved like newlyweds when it came to intimacy.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Krillin threw to his wife a legitimate question:

"So, who do you think would win in an arm wrestle: you or your brother?" Eighteen delicately jabbed her husband on the arm, responding with a raised brow,

"Is that supposed to be a trick question or something?"

"No." Krillin replied, jokingly waving his hands in front of his chest, "I just wanted to make sure you knew what the right answer was."

Although there wasn't a clear victor between them during their intense arm wrestles, they guaranteed that they would both be winners by the end of the night. Proceeding to enter their bedroom, they instinctively made their adoration for each other clear, just one more time:

"I love you, globe head."

"I love you too, babe."

 **THE END**


	3. Words (Revisited)

**_A PERFECT LOVE_**

 _ **A/N: Due to a couple of requests, I have decided to revisit my first ever K18 one-shot. This was originally written after Episode 100 of Dragon Ball Super, in which Krillin is scolded by Eighteen for his exit from The Tournament of Power. I have since updated it in some areas to match the conclusion of that arc, as well as improve upon what I had originally written. It was actually quite nice to revisit my earliest work. Reviews and feedback are more than welcome.**_

 _ **Words (Revisited)**_

* * *

The streets were completely still as Krillin walked around the neighbourhood. He didn't know how long he had been walking for, nor did he care. He slipped his hands into his pockets, slowly walking past the flickering street lights. The sudden passing of the occasional vehicle would snap him out of his daze if only for a moment.

It had been quite the stressful day; fighting for the survival of his Universe and whatnot. He still couldn't believe he actually knocked someone out of the ring. With the rush of the day, he was just thankful that his Universe triumphed and that he could return to his normal life again. However, something still bothered him. Something he wished never happened yet he knew he couldn't forget.

 _ **"And you call yourself my husband!"**_ Krillin recalled Eighteen shouting towards him as he looked at the rest of his team in shame. He was truly embarrassed to be knocked off first; he was rather enjoying competing with other powerful fighters. And fighting alongside his wife made it all the better. He still couldn't believe he made such a rookie mistake by letting his guard down so easily.

But while he was disappointed that he got eliminated so soon in the tournament, it was Eighteen's harsh words which were the source of Krillin's distress. It had been circling his mind repeatedly throughout the duration of the tournament. Even as he cheered Eighteen and the rest of the team on, Krillin couldn't shake off her words.

It had bothered him from the moment of Eighteen's utterance to them returning home. Eighteen had attempted to make light conversation with her husband, to which he only gave one-word replies. She could sense something wasn't right with him; she always knew when something was bugging Krillin whenever he closed up and seemed disengaged from the what was going on around him.

They eventually arrived at home; Krillin and Eighteen both deeply sighed in relief as he parked the car. They turned their heads around to see Marron fast asleep in her booster seat. Seeing their daughter asleep always warmed their hearts. Krillin stealthily unbuckled her seatbelt and took Marron to her bed without waking her up.

As he tucked his daughter into bed, Krillin granted a small grin to appear on his face. To think that if his Universe had been defeated, he would be able to see his daughter's precious smile ever again. It was a daunting thought that didn't matter anymore; she was safe and that's all that was important right now.

"I love you so much, my little firefly." Krillin whispered in her ear before softly pecking her cheek. Eighteen looked over with a heartfelt smile, holding a fresh cup of coffee in her hand. She cautiously took a sip, deciding to make Krillin one as well. She casually made her way down the stairs and began to craft her latest creation. Eighteen chuckled to herself in relief, she still couldn't believe that her Universe was still in one piece. Alas, she was looking forward to celebrating Universe 7's victory with her beloved Krillin.

As she carefully poured the boiling water into Krillin's favourite mug, the man she was just thinking about arrived at the bottom of the stairs. He had changed into his precious Tacos t-shirt. She hoped that Krillin would be a little happier than he was when he was in the car. Eighteen caught his eye, offering him a brief smile; he returned with a polite wave, rotting himself on the couch.

Eighteen raised her eyes in genuine confusion; why was Krillin acting so weird? Despite his odd behaviour, she finished her creation, carefully adding in her signature "Latte Love Heart" as Krillin called it. Eighteen sat next to Krillin and placed his coffee in front of him on the dining table.

Krillin seemed disconnected from his surroundings as it took him a little while notice the hot beverage in front of him. It was only when Eighteen gently pressed his lips on his warm neck that he returned from his daydream. But as he registered his wife's delicate kiss, something in him finally snapped.

"Oh, I see that when no one else is around, that's when you want to show me affection." Krillin murmured, averting his eyes to the window. Eighteen was left even more bewildered than before. She moved closer to him on the couch as she replied,

"What are you talking about?"

"No-no. I get it. I'm only your husband behind closed doors. Because whenever I make a mistake, you don't hesitate to disown me."

Eighteen was left dumbfounded by Krillin's words. She couldn't understand why Krillin was being so cold towards her.

"Seriously, what's your deal, Krillin?" Eighteen questioned with a stern expression, "I know you've been acting aloof since the end of the tournament."

 **"And you call yourself my husband."** Krillin replied coldly. He turned to face her with his cheeks burning red. Eighteen silently gasped at the colour of his face.

"You said that to me, Eighteen. You said that to me. Despite the fact that I saved you from elimination. Despite the fact that we teamed up so well together. Despite the fact that I actually knocked someone off the stage. None of that mattered to you. No. You just dropped me like I was nothing because I got eliminated. You were so ashamed that I got eliminated that you declared to everyone around you that all that training equipment I had was for nothing. You were so quick to put me down, Eighteen, and now, it appears to me that you were embarrassed to call me your husband."

Krillin needed to say that; it had been festering inside him for so long. He then rose off of the couch and orbited anxiously around the living room. Eighteen had to trace her mind back to when Krillin got eliminated; so much had happened at the tournament it was all becoming a blur. She didn't remember saying such a thing. It seemed like such a thoughtless thing to say to him. But then the memory suddenly hit her. Indeed, in the heat of battle, she had said,

 _ **"And you call yourself my husband! What about all that money you wasted on training equipment?!"** _She placed her head in her hands as she replayed the moment over and over again until the words sounded slurred.

"Come on, Krillin!" Eighteen replied with a raised voice, "You know that I didn't mean that!"

"But I actually think you did!" Krillin returned fiercely, pacing up and down the living room, "I know you, Eighteen! I know that you cut to the chase and say things as they really are!"

"You seriously cannot take what I said to heart! I was under so much pressure, obviously, since we were a man down! Remember, we were fighting to save our Universe, our daughter!" Eighteen explained as she too left the couch. She knew the enormous stakes that were at hand. She knew that the fewer fighters there were, the harder the fight.

"Don't you think I would be a little frustrated that you let down your guard and cause our team to be down a fighter?!" Eighteen asked rhetorically. They both knew the answer to that one.

"It's not like I did it on purpose!" Krillin replied, waving his arms around, "It's just that I couldn't believe that I actually knocked someone out of the ring! I thought you of all people, knowing the mountains I've had to climb, knowing all the fears and struggles I have with myself, would have been happy for me! But instead, you slated me!

"Why were you celebrating in the first place?!"

"Because I didn't think I was even going to knock anyone out!" Krillin admitted with a scent of sadness. He really didn't expect to have done anything at the Tournament of Power. Even Beerus told him to steer clear from the action. That's why he was so overjoyed when he did something so important.

"Look, I've done enough fighting for one day, Krillin." Eighteen said with a calmer tone, "Please, I don't want to fight you too. You are the last person I want to fight." She walked up to him, wishing to put this argument to rest. Unfortunately, Krillin wasn't so keen to drop the issue.

"You know all the crap I've been through," Krillin continued, moving away from Eighteen, "It just saddens me to know that you are embarrassed by me."

"Oh my gosh! Would you stop feeling so sorry for yourself!" Eighteen responded with an annoyed glare in her eyes, "I am in no way embarrassed by you! As a matter of fact, it's because of your support that I was able to defeat that Ribrianne from Universe 2! Seriously, you need to understand that I said was purely out of sheer frustration!"

"Don't try and excuse yourself," Krillin retaliated as he shook his head, "You are trying to soften to punch you threw, alright. I'm not stupid."

"Well, if you were strong enough, then maybe you would have lasted longer!" Eighteen's words echoed across the room. There was a quiet tension that rested upon both of them. They hadn't argued this badly in a very long time. Krillin turned away from his wife. He couldn't bear to look at her right now. Her words had encamped inside his mind and refused to leave.

Regret immediately overtook Eighteen. She knew how strong Krillin was and how far he had come. Saying such a thing wasn't going to help anyone. She hit herself mentally for her lack of self-control; it's what had led to this argument in the first place. But before she could apologise, Krillin had already stormed towards the front door.

"Well then, I'll do what I do best then shall I?" Krillin exclaimed with a quiver in his throat. With that, he left the house, furiously slamming the door behind him. The banging noise vibrated around the house, leaving a soft ringing sound. She hoped that Krillin's exit didn't startle Marron. Thankfully, it didn't.

Eighteen couldn't believe this was how they were "celebrating" the Universe's survival. It had already been a long and tiring day. This only made it worse. Eighteen made her way back downstairs to an empty living room. She slowly walked to the now lukewarm cup of coffee she had made for Krillin. Amazingly, the love heart was still intact. She smiled at that as a small tear fell from her eye. She sunk down on the couch, resting her head on the arm. Eighteen didn't wipe the tear; she let it descend down her face. Full of regret, she whispered breathily to herself,

"I'm sorry, Krillin."

* * *

Krillin had seamlessly walked for miles and miles. He had marched through all the quiet suburban streets and was now tiredly wandering around the city. He felt calmer than before, but only slightly.

Before he knew it, he was standing outside his place of work. He lifted his eyes to see the police logo on the top of the building. He had booked the week off work so he could spend some quality time with his family, in the hope that Universe 7 actually won the tournament. Although, he wasn't necessarily looking forward to it right now. He wasn't angry anymore; Krillin was just frustrated.

It still amazed him how at times, Eighteen could be so insensitive. Her words were often the encouragement he needed at his most anxious states. Her soft voice would calm his inner raging storms. However, her words at the tournament haunted him like a ghost. He looked at his reflection in the window. Krillin quickly became self-aware of his downcast expression as he rubbed away the sleep from his eyes. He then proceeded to move along, heading nowhere in particular.

Taking deep breaths to help combat his sadness, Krillin continued to work things out in his head. Although it was painful to admit, there was something Eighteen was right about, it was his "pity party" mindset. It wasn't healthy for him to be stuck in that frame of mind. He just couldn't help himself. Krillin understood that he had let his team down with his brief exit and he only had himself to blame on that one.

The last thing Krillin wanted to do was disappoint Eighteen and Marron. He was finally ready to prove himself to be a worthy fighter and do his family proud. It all ended too soon for him. And then to hear the ridicule from his wife, to hear the disappointment in her voice, only made things worse.

Krillin approached an ATM machine, leading him to withdraw some cash from his wallet. Thankfully, he hadn't forgotten to take it with him when he departed for his therapeutic street wandering session. As he went to take his credit card out of his wallet, his eyes were glued to the creased photograph within the transparent sleeve.

Krillin carefully studied the picture. The image was of himself, his wife and his daughter at Bulma's birthday cruise from a few years back. It was such a sweet memory for Krillin. He reminisced to himself about how he was talking with some of the guys at the party when Marron pulled his shirt to get his attention.

"Dad, Dad! Can we get a photo together please?" He recalled Marron asking with her cute puppy dog eyes. He couldn't resist as Marron led Krillin to the photographer. Krillin wondered where Eighteen was as he scanned his surroundings. She suddenly pounced on him from behind and made him jump.

"So glad you could join us, babe!" Krillin gleefully joked, catching his breath.

"What are you talking about? This was my idea." Eighteen replied with a glowing smile. Krillin chuckled as the photographer asked if Marron could be in between the parents. The photographer snapped away as the Chestnuts smiled for the camera.

Once the photographer was finished, Marron ran off to play with Goten and Trunks. Krillin was about to rejoin his earlier conversation when Eighteen forcefully pulled him back.

"Now!" She said, giving the photographer the signal to take a picture of the two of them kissing.

"Done! Would you like to see your picture?" The photographer asked as he curiously rubbed his chin. It appeared all Krillin and Eighteen wanted to do was to deeply kiss each other as they lovingly gazed into each other's eyes. They could hear some cheering from their friends on the cruise, but they didn't care. They were so entranced in the kiss, the voices around them ebbed away. No photo could capture the kiss as perfectly as the real thing.

Suddenly, Krillin had an epiphany; he had allowed himself to so caught up by Eighteen throw away words when he should have been with his family. He realised just how much he missed being with his family, even though Krillin was only gone a few hours. That was the purpose of him fighting in the first place; not for himself or even for pride. He fought to protect the ones he loved. Hastily placing his wallet back into his trouser pocket, Krillin raced back home as quickly as his legs could carry him.

He was now back at the entrance of his house. Krillin apprehensively knocked on the door, praying that Eighteen would be happy to see him. He swallowed his nerves as the door swung open. All of his fears were rightfully quenched as Eighteen passionately pressed her lips upon his.

Their kisses were intense and full of raw emotion. They both allowed themselves to get lost in the moment. Clumsily stepping inside the house, they made their way to the couch. Their fingers intertwined together like a jigsaw piece as they continued to smother each other with love. Krillin then took a deep breath as the kissing slowly stopped,

"I love you, Eighteen! I love you and Marron more than anything in the world! I just wished I didn't disappoint you!" Krillin exclaimed as adrenaline flowed through his body.

"I love you too!" Eighteen replied earnestly, "Please, please know that I wasn't disappointed in you! I was upset that you got knocked out so soon! I was really looking forward to us working together throughout the tournament."

"Really?"

"Of course! I loved teaming up with you. I mean, why wouldn't I?" Eighteen proclaimed brushing aside her loose blonde hairs.

There was silence once again in the Chestnut house. But this time, instead of tension, there was peace. Being apart from each other made both of them realise what would have happened if in fact Universe 7 lost. They would have been separated forever and that thought brought them closer together. Eighteen was still holding her husband's hand tightly as she said with an irremovable blush,

"I'm so grateful that I get to call you my husband. Each day, I fall in love with you more and more. And I hope you can forgive me for what I said."

"Eighteen," Krillin stated with a reassuring smile, "you don't need to say another word." He then wrapped his arms around her as they enjoyed the embrace. They were so thankful to be with each other. Through thick and thin. Through every word, good and bad. Deep down inside, they both knew words weren't sufficient enough to accurately articulate how they felt for one another. The only way they could truly say it was to show it. Never did the saying, "Actions speak louder than words," mean more than it did now...

 _ **THE END**_


	4. Observations

**_A PERFECT LOVE_**

 **A/N: First of all, I want to say a massive thank you to all the wonderful people who have supported this new K18 one-shot collection. Your support means so much to me. I had a real blast writing this latest instalment. Don't forget, feedback is warmly welcomed.**

 _ **Observations**_

* * *

The serene ocean tide crawled ever closer towards Eighteen as she enjoyed a relaxed mid-morning reading session. Her chosen reading was the latest issue of her precious fashion magazine collection. Patiently roaming from page-to-page, she mentally noted what items of clothing she pined to purchase and which ones she wished she could erase from existence.

"Seriously, who would want to be seen in _that_ outfit?" She vented to herself, squinting her eyes in disdain at the eccentric patterns on the outfit. She flicked over to the next page, carefully readjusting her sunglasses. Well, they weren't exactly _her_ sunglasses. She had successfully snuck them out of Krillin's bedroom while he was resting. It was a good thing that he was such a heavy sleeper, as well as being extremely generous with his belongings.

Little did Eighteen know that Krillin had awoken from his deep slumber and was now standing by the porch of Kame House. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the refreshing summer air before deflating his chest back to normal size. A content smile gradually etched itself across his dry lips; Krillin's infatuated eyes admiringly mused over Eighteen.

Sitting alone by the ocean's edge, she appeared as angelic as ever, despite her windswept hair. Her face emitted a unique elegance unrivalled by any other. Krillin attentively observed Eighteen's subtle body language; her relaxed posture was a pleasant sight to see. He decided to make his presence known, promptly advancing towards the shoreline.

The sound of Krillin's muted footsteps were a pleasant surprise. Choosing to cast her magazine aside, Eighteen flicked _her_ sunglasses to the bridge of her nose, fervently chewing on her bottom lip; he looked as _fine_ as ever.

In spite of his initial protests, she was so glad that Krillin acquiesced to her relentless insistence that he should grow out his jet black hair. Better yet, since the summer weather had come around, sightings of him without a top were becoming more and more frequent. This presented a prime opportunity for Eighteen to gaze upon his well-toned muscles in all their splendour. She didn't care what anyone said or thought about his appearance. To her, Krillin was simply stunning.

"Finally decided to get out of bed, uh?" Eighteen cordially greeted Krillin as he rooted himself on her left side. He retaliated swiftly with a brief kiss on her warm cheek.

"You know me. If I ever get the chance to have a lay-in, I'll take it." He assuredly replied, noticing that his sunglasses were loosely hanging off of Eighteen's ears, "I see you've stolen my sunglasses again."

"Hey!" Eighteen asserted, raising her arms in defence, "I didn't steal your sunglasses. I'm just borrowing them."

"I ain't complaining." He then proceeded to straighten his sunglasses up for her, before adding, "You actually look kinda cute with them on."

Without saying a word, Eighteen showed her appreciation of Krillin's kind comment with a habitual gesture. A gesture he didn't see all too often. But when he did, it meant the world to him.

"I've noticed you do that from time-to-time."

"Do what?" She tentatively asked, feeling as if she had suddenly entered a "deer in the headlights" type situation.

"Don't worry. It's nothing bad." Krillin reassured her with a warm timbre in his voice, "I've just noticed that whenever I give you a compliment or if you see something you like, you have this tendency to needlessly brush your hair aside."

Eighteen eyes immediately darted up to where her right hand was currently placed. It was exactly as Krillin described. She instantly felt the soft blonde tangles that ran between her fingers. In an effort to combat her self-consciousness, she instinctually moved her hand unto her lap.

"Have you seriously never noticed?" He enquired, watching Eighteen's face grow with slight perplexity.

"Not really, no. But if it's weird, I'll stop."

"Weird?" Krillin answered calmly, pulling his knees up to his chest, "Take it from me. That hair thing you do is _far_ from weird. It's just a quirky habit you have. That's all."

"Habit?"

"Yeah. Everyone has them." Krillin added, lifting his eyes to the cloudless blue sky above him. At that moment, Eighteen's concerns morphed into curiosity. Now that she gave it some consideration, Krillin _did_ have some fairly odd traits of his own. Realising this, Eighteen violently crashed her hands together with excitement. The resounding clash of her hands drew Krillin's attention away from the empty sky and unto a far more captivating sight.

"You know, you always start to laugh nervously when I stare at you for an extended period of time." Eighteen astutely remarked.

Shaking his head from side-to-side, Krillin firmly disagreed with a great amount of confidence, "Erm- I believe you're imagining things because I'm pretty sure I've never done that before, babe." His confidence, however, was set to quickly vanish. Eighteen silently folded the arms of Krillin's sunglasses, delicately resting them on top of her magazine.

"W-what are you doing?" His query reeked with diffidence. Eighteen purposefully ignored him, electing to silently close the gap between them instead. Krillin dared not move, especially since Eighteen developed a kittenesque sheen in her eyes. She fearlessly pounced on him; Krillin willingly collapsed unto his back. The space between them was now non-existent. What followed was the inevitable.

"Ahh, damn it." He humbly admitted, "I guess you're right."

"See," Eighteen gloated with raised eyebrows. She remained on top of him, resuming her point with a velvety inflexion, "and I think you laugh because you don't know what else to do when I have my eyes set on _you_."

Krillin provided no reply as strands of Eighteen's hair lightly tickled his besotted face. Her strong emphasis on the word, ' _you_ ' drew forth another excitable chuckle. Now that she had brought it to his attention, he couldn't stop himself. Nor did he want to.

Satisfied by the result, Eighteen distanced their proximity, if only by the smallest of margins. This gifted Krillin the chance to not only wipe off the soft sand from his back but also reveal another fascinating observation he made about Eighteen.

"Here's a really good one!" Krillin's child-like enthusiasm gripped Eighteen, staring back him with a sense of anticipation, "You always make sure that the TV or radio volume is set at an even number."

"You're kidding, right?" Eighteen answered him with a doubtful snicker. Krillin shuffled himself closer to Eighteen, eagerly elaborating, "I am 100% serious. There have been times where I have deliberately set the volume at 19 and then I catch you changing it to 20 or 22-"

"Or 18?" She noted with a sense of irony.

"Exactly!"

"I can't say there's a valid explanation for it."

"The only thing I can think of is that because your name, you naturally prefer even numbers." Krillin's winged reasoning technically made sense.

However, Eighteen wasn't fully convinced, logically stating, "If that's the case, then maybe my brother likes his volume set to an odd number."

"That's gotta be true." He firmly agreed, "You should ask him the next time you see him."

"Actually, speaking of my brother, you two share a habit."

"No way!" Krillin exclaimed with great elation, 'What is it!?"

"I wouldn't get too excited if I were you. Eighteen warned him, hinting at the fact that this habit wasn't exactly a positive one, "You and Seventeen _need_ to learn how to eat without talking at the same time."

"Huh. I never would have imagined your brother doing something like that." Krillin remarked bemusedly. Even though he didn't know much about Eighteen's brother, he was relieved to discover that they did have _something_ in common, even if it was just talking with their mouths full.

"Believe me, he's almost as bad as you." Eighteen slyly teased, sneakily resting her head on Krillin's shoulder. Sticking to the subject of her brother, she calmly suggested to him, "Perhaps on my next visit to Seventeen's place, you should come with me."

Eighteen almost lost her balance due to Krillin's sudden movement. She fixed her eyes on him, reading the agitated expression which had rapidly overtaken him as he paced back and forth in front of her.

"D-do you think that's such a good idea?" Krillin responded apprehensively. This wasn't the first time the topic of Krillin meeting up with Seventeen had occurred. When she had mentioned it to him before, he would quickly change the subject or brush it off with a fake smile. She decided it was time to tell it to him straight.

"What, so you don't want to meet him then?"

"No, I would like to meet him." Krillin unconvincingly replied.

Eighteen candidly returned with a stern tone, "Really? Because your face is telling me something _completely_ different."

Krillin halted in his tracks as Eighteen's words escaped her mouth. Disappointment followed her as she looked away from him. Sitting back down on the sand, Krillin hoped he could clearly convey his anxious thoughts:

"I do want to meet your brother, Eighteen. I guess I'm just worried that he gonna think that I'm not good enough for you. Or maybe we won't get along with each other."

Eighteen's face perked up at Krillin's response. She could totally understand why he may feel that way. Nevertheless, she desired to put his concerns to rest.

Taking a hold of his shaky hand, she sincerely reassured him, "Honey, you have no reason to be nervous about him. He knows that we've been dating for a little while now and he seems pretty chilled about it. I mean even if he wasn't, I don't need his approval. Besides, I believe we've been together long enough to pay him at least one visit from the both of us."

"So, I don't have anything to worry about?" Krillin asked with a hint of courage in his voice. Eighteen strongly shook her head; he seriously had nothing to fear. Swiftly rising to his feet, Krillin boldly proclaimed, "Alright then! We better get going!"

"Go? Go where?"

"Well, I said that I wanted to meet your brother, didn't I?" Krillin clarified cheerfully, offering his right hand out towards Eighteen. Gladly accepting Krillin's outstretched arm, she arose from the ground, asking with an ebullient expression,

"You want to meet Seventeen right now?"

"Sure!" Krillin confirmed confidently, "I wanna do whatever makes you happy, Eighteen!" His elegant blush was infectious; the surface of Eighteen's cheeks were being painted with same rose coloured hue. Krillin then wrapped his arms around her neck, like a scarf on a cold winter's night. She willingly returned the favour, tenderly caressing the sides of his face. As their bodies gently swayed, Eighteen inquisitively enquired,

"Why are you so good to me, Krillin?" The man in question instinctually released a nervous chuckle, before answering with a heartfelt resonance,

"Because you've been so good to me."

Neither of them knew for certain who exactly initiated the kiss. But one thing was obvious: neither of them cared. Their hands crawled around each other's bodies as their kisses grew more and more intense. It was a good thing Master Roshi and Oolong weren't around to see this. Krillin and Eighteen rarely got to physically express themselves since their housemates always stood around like vultures.

It was Eighteen's turn to fall unto her back, dragging her lovestruck partner with her. As Eighteen's fingers danced around his toned stomach, Krillin passionately pecked her neck, leaving little imprints of where his lips had been. It was yet another adorable idiosyncrasy Eighteen so dearly treasured about Krillin.

Soon enough, they carefully rested their foreheads against each other, leading them to stare intimately into each other's eyes. The exhilarating adrenaline which had suddenly thrust them into the moment was gradually settling down. Their pounding hearts were left playing catch up.

"Well, that was a pleasant surprise." Krillin breathlessly panted in a euphoric daze.

"You're telling me." Eighteen concurred, evidently indicating her contentment with a sudden sweep of her hair. Little dimples appeared on Krillin's cheeks at the sight of Eighteen's signal of satisfaction, readily noting,

"You just did your hair thing again."

Eighteen embraced her little quirk proudly, "I know."

"So, should we get ready to leave, babe?"

"Hold on a second, Krillin! I've forgotten something!"

"What did you for-" Cutting off Krillin's sentence, Eighteen boldly pressed her lips on his. She simply couldn't resist the alluring taste of Krillin's sweet kiss any longer. He gladly welcomed the interruption; he didn't mind being silenced if this was his reward for doing so. Before they got too caught up in the moment, Eighteen gradually withdrew from their brief kiss, playfully stating,

"Okay, _now_ I'm ready to leave."

"Well, you might be ready. But I need to at least wear a shirt at Seventeen's place." Krillin noted, lifting himself off from Eighteen. She followed his lead, promptly dusting off all the sand she had collected on her clothes.

"You should you wear that new shirt I picked out for you the other day." Eighteen advised, grabbing her magazine and Krillin's sunglasses which had thankfully not been stolen by the ocean tide during their impromptu make-out session. Krillin agreed with her suggestion as they both made their way inside Kame house.

"So, what kinda things does your brother like?" Krillin curiously pried, "Is he into any TV shows or movies or anything like that?" He wanted to make sure that if their conversation was beginning to run dry, he had something he could bounce off from to keep things going. Unfortunately, Eighteen wasn't a lot of help, replying with shrugged shoulders,

"I don't really know. Seventeen's pretty reserved and private; even more so than me. But I have reason to suspect that he has a soft spot for animals."

"Really?" Krillin returned, neglecting to hide his surprised expression, "What makes you think that?"

"Well, when I first met up with him, he mentioned how much he enjoyed living in the middle of nowhere, away from the cities and close to the heart of nature. It may have sounded poetic, but I just rolled my eyes at it, to be honest."

"Uhh. I mean, I like turtles." Krillin's light joke warranted a painless punch on his arm from Eighteen as she accompanied him to his bedroom, depositing his sunglasses on his bedside dresser. While Krillin equipped his recently acquired bright orange t-shirt to match his baggy khaki trousers, Eighteen ran a brush through her hair, rigorously untangling the knots she had created for herself. Of course, the brush itself didn't belong to her. But it may as well have; she made more use of it than Krillin did.

It was Eighteen who had finished getting ready first. She decided to kill some time by taking a seat on the edge of Krillin's bed and resuming to read her magazine. Her eyes bounced around the pages, scanning to see if there was anything worth treating herself to for her next shopping spree. However, her search was quickly interrupted,

"Babe, should I wear my sunglasses to your brother's or not?" Krillin queried, pointlessly rotating them in uncertainty.

Eighteen's answer was concise, yet definitive, "No. They wouldn't match your outfit." Krillin reluctantly agreed, placing them back on his bedside dresser.

Retreating from Krillin's bedroom, Eighteen knowingly abandoned her magazine on Krillin's bed; it gave her an easy excuse to return to his room later in the day. Krillin promptly joined her at the top of the stairs, before heading towards the mouth of the house together, hand-in-hand. As they exited the residence, they both sharply covered their eyes to counteract the blinding light being emitted by the scorching sun. Thankfully, their eyes readjusted quickly to their surroundings.

They stood still for a fleeting moment. It occurred to both Krillin and Eighteen that this visit to Seventeen's place was going to be a big step forward in their relationship. It was a step that neither of them could have even imagined taking when Eighteen first stepped foot inside Kame House. But they were so grateful that they had each other to take it.

"Hey, Krillin." Eighteen softly uttered, effortlessly attaining his pleasant gaze, "Before we leave, I just wanted to say thank you for doing this. You have no idea just how much this means to me."

Krillin couldn't think of any sufficient words to say in reply. He simply smiled back at Eighteen, who was gleefully mimicking his expression. With each passing day, Krillin and Eighteen continued to discover new things they adored about each other. From big gestures to small habits, all of these things brought them closer together.

Taking flight to the endless skies above them, they joyously marvelled at where exactly this relationship was taking them.

 ** _THE END_**


	5. Empty Room

_**A PERFECT LOVE**_

 **A/N: This story is partly inspired by my own experiences as me and my family have been moving around a lot over the past couple of years. I sincerely hope you will enjoy this little one-shot. Reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated…**

 ** _Empty Room_  
**

* * *

Legions of opaque dust particles graciously hovered around the empty room. Any traces of previous inhibition was certainly sparse. It was almost ghostly; a vacant space filled with countless memories

Marron discerned the conflict which had been wrestling restlessly from within her. Today should've been a joyous occasion; she, along with her family were finally ready to move into their own place. A place the Chestnuts could call their own.

They had all immediately fallen in love with the house; the interior design of the kitchen oozed with sophistication and class, as well as the living room, which possessed a spaciously intimate quality about it. The wide glass doors led to a picturesque garden, brimming with all kinds of blossoming flowers and plants.

All of the bedrooms were perfectly sized; no longer would they be forced to stumble into their rooms to get their beds. They even had a spare room, giving the family plenty of options on what they could add to the house. Krillin was adamant of turning the room into a home gym, despite Eighteen's stern objections. One thing they knew for certain, the house met all their wants and needs; it was simply perfect for them.

Consequently, as the day of moving into their new place rapidly gathered pace, Marron came closer to the unwanted reality that she would have to leave behind the place she had always known as her home.

As her eyes peered at the window, the walls of Marron's mind swiftly became invaded by the bittersweet memories of her and family playing together by the shore of Kame House. A small smirk appeared; how she would miss the hours spent in the scorching sun, drawing her pictures as she blissfully hummed along to the music being blared out of her parents' stereo. She looked away from the window in disappointment; those days were now wistfully coming to an end.

It didn't help that for the past several weeks, Marron had to endure the arduous labours of packing. Each day seemed to blur into the next; she had officially grown tired of being interrogated on a daily basis with questions such as, _"Do you want to keep this or can we throw it away?"_

And thanks to all of the chaos caused by the packing, she felt as if her voice wasn't being heard. Her parents, particularly her father, had become so involved with the move that any unrelated conversations she'd bring up would be overlooked. She knew they didn't do it on purpose, but it would have been nice to have spent some time together before they departed to live in the city.

Her train of thought suddenly halted at the sound of a familiar, yet chirpy voice being echoed from the entrance of the room, "Are you okay, Marron?"

"Oh! Hey, Dad." She responded, instantly recognising her father's voice, "What are you doing up here?"

"I noticed that you haven't been downstairs in a while and I wanted to see what you were doing." Krillin assuredly reported, meeting her at the centre of the room. Krillin gingerly knelt down to Marron's line of sight, acknowledging her attempts to disguise her sadness with silence.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He enquired with growing concern.

"Yeah! Of course!" Marron's answer failed to match up with the saddened glare which watered her eyes.

"Marron, I need you to be honest with me," Krillin stated with a comforting firmness, "Is there something you're not telling me?

"I-I don't know, Daddy." She began to explain, "I used to be really excited about the thought of us moving, especially since it would be just you, me and Mommy living together. But, lately, I've been thinking about just how much I'm gonna miss this living here and miss playing in this room. I also haven't really seen you that much because of all the packing. I guess I just want things to be normal again."

Krillin's eyes broadened at his daughter's confessions, "Oh, Marron. I had no idea just how much this move has been affecting you." He perceived with a sense of regret.

"It's okay, Daddy. I understand that you've been busy." Marron calmly reassured her father. However, he wasn't letting himself get off the hook so easily,

"No, it's not. I've been so caught up getting us ready for the move that I haven't given you the attention you've needed."

Krillin couldn't deny that he had been like a machine these past few weeks. He shook his head as the sound of his wife's previous warnings circled around his head. _"You need to take a break,"_ and, _"Stop rushing so much,"_ had become prevalent proverbs of her's. He knew the reason as to why he had been hurrying to complete the move,

"To be honest, Marron, I'm gonna miss living here too."

"Really?" Marron answered with a surprised timbre, "How so?"

"Well, for starters, Kame House has been my home for pretty much my whole life. Whenever I look down on the shore, I envision myself as a young boy, training with your uncle Goku. Day and night, we used to train under the guidance of Master Roshi, who has helped me so much over the course of my life. I mean, if it wasn't for this little place in the middle of nowhere, your mother and I wouldn't have gotten to know each other, fall in love, and receive the greatest gift in the whole world."

"What gift was it, Daddy?" Marron naively enquired. Krillin briefly paused to chuckle at his daughter's adorable ignorance, before proclaiming proudly,

"It's you, sweetie!"

An overwhelming tide of joy swept over Marron's heart. Her delight manifested itself in a stream of tears. Krillin gave his precious child a warming embrace, trying to hold back tears of his own. It wasn't easy for him to reveal how much Kame House had meant to him. He absolutely adored this place and everything it had provided to him.

They promptly broke apart from each other, rapidly erasing any evidence of sadness from their faces.

"So, what are you gonna miss about living here?" Krillin asked out of curiosity. Taking no time at all to think of her answers, Marron gleefully listed along with her fingers,

"I'm really gonna miss building my sandcastles, playing with Turtle, and watching Mommy beat up Master Roshi!"

Krillin couldn't help but let out a small burst of laughter; Marron could really come out with the most bizarrely innocent, yet truthful responses imaginable. Marron too joined in with the giggles, adding along to her list,

"I'm also gonna miss the view of the ocean from my bedroom, as well scaring Oolong in the dark!"

"Oh, I'm sure you will!" Krillin returned, fully aware of Oolong's distaste of Marron's cheeky pranks. He then arose from the floor and made his way over to the windowsill. As he gazed upon the vast horizon ahead of him, he recovered his confidence. Marron followed her father, mimicking his peaceful expression as she stood on the tips of her toes.

"You know, Marron," Krillin gladly declared, "because of our little chat, I think I'm more excited for our future now than I was when we first bought our new house. Through our reminiscing, I'm finally prepared for all the new memories our family are gonna create together. It's gonna be awesome and I wouldn't wanna share with anyone other than you and your mother."

Krillin's newfound optimism naturally spread unto his daughter, "I'm excited too, Daddy." She hugged her father's left leg tightly; today had finally become the joyous occasion it should have been all along.

"Thank you." She sincerely added. Her father beamed down at her, giving her hair a little tussle before replying,

"No worries, my little firefly."

"There you are!" Another familiar voice announced with relief. Krillin and Marron turned around to find Eighteen standing by the bedroom door "I was wondering where you two had disappeared off to. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Momma!" Marron answered with her typical exuberance. She then made a run for it down the stairs; Marron was going to make sure she enjoyed her last few moments as a Kame House resident to the fullest. Her parents watched in bemusement as she vanished down the staircase.

"She seems much happier now." Eighteen remarked, scratching the top of her head.

"We actually had quite the heart-to-heart just now." Krillin returned with an affectionate smile. Eighteen gently closed the door behind her as she approached her husband standing by the windowsill. She keenly noticed the more relaxed demeanour her husband was displaying,

"I can see it did you some good." It certainly helped that she had slid her arms around his waist.

"It sure indeed." He confirmed contently as he willingly got lost in the unexpected kiss he found himself in. Sure, Krillin was certainly going to miss living in Kame House and he would always be grateful to what this place had done for him. But as he broke apart from his wife's tender lips and watched his daughter race around on the beach below, he couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for him and his family.

Eighteen took Krillin by his soft hand and led him to the bedroom door. She pushed the door open, guiding him away from the empty room. As Krillin looked back at the room behind, a satisfied sigh followed him out the door. His time in Kame House was finally over. With that, he silently closed the door, let go of the rusty handle, and walked away with a comforting thought; the best days were yet to come.

 _ **THE END**_

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you so much for giving this a read. If you enjoyed this one-shot, be sure to follow and favourite this story so you can keep updated with my latest work. I'm also trying to write shorter stories such as this one so I can get more K18 content out to all you awesome people. Thank you once again and until next time, peace.**


	6. The Night Before

_**A PERFECT LOVE**_

 ** _A/N: It's_** **_sooooo good to be back! I'm pleased to release this short one-shot to you all. I attempted a different writing style for this one and kept it as concise as I could. Please let me know what you think and whether I should write more stories like this in the future. With that, I hope you enjoy my latest K18 one-shot!_**

 **The Night Before  
**

* * *

 _I'm still in shock._

I've been pinching myself almost non-stop throughout today, just to make sure I haven't been dreaming all this up in my head. Thankfully, largely in part to my friends, I'm reassured that I'm not imagining things. By this time tomorrow, I'll be a married man!

For the longest time, I never fully believed that this day would come. My desire to fall in love and become a husband seemed like an unattainable wish. Yet, it's actually happening and I would not for one-second change the path I've been on to get here. Because that path, despite all of its hardships and difficulties, has led me to the woman of my dreams.

Eighteen is without a doubt the most amazing person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. She's just so awesome in so many ways. I find her sound honesty, calming presence, and attentive ear to be exactly what I need. I also know, without a doubt, that she will always fight my corner, even if it means talking some sense into me every now and then.

And of course, Eighteen is, in my biased opinion, the most beautiful woman in the universe. But it's her character which I find to be the most attractive thing about her. I mean most days, it slips my mind that Eighteen's not fully human because she's just so genuine. I dearly cherish every second I'm with her and I adore her with all that I am.

I'll never forget the night I finally summoned the courage to propose to Eighteen. It was a brisk summer evening and we had arrived just in time to watch the firework display at the Central City Carnival. We'd finished our conquest to ride every attraction the fair had to offer. I almost threw up on the drop tower, to Eighteen's amusement. I didn't mind though; anything that makes Eighteen smile warms my heart, even if it's at my own detriment.

The fairground was completely crowded; we could barely move, let alone breathe. It was strange since this appeared to bother me more than it bothered Eighteen. For some reason, she appeared totally content. I'd like to think it was because she was just happy to be with me. Eighteen teased that, _"It was because of the fireworks."_

As the colourful explosions continued to light up the darkened sky, my hand cautiously slipped in her's. I then, with my other hand, tentatively reached into my jacket pocket, praying that I hadn't lost the engagement ring by mistake. My adrenaline started to kick in as I nervously tapped my fingers on the case which the ring was safely cocooned within. This was it; I was actually about to ask Eighteen to be my wife.

Suddenly, and regretfully, thoughts began to swarm my mind. Thoughts which attempted to spoil the moment:

 _"What if she says no?" "Am I enough for her?" "Are we even ready for marriage?"_

But then, as my eyes withdrew from the fireworks and gazed upon this amazing person standing beside me, I quickly recalled to myself how through my many dark days and sleepless nights, Eighteen had been there for me. When there were plenty of reasons for Eighteen to leave me and opportunities to take her life down a different road, she didn't. Eighteen had always stood by my side and I always stood by her's.

My fears were instantly put to rest and were replaced with burning excitement. I simply couldn't wait any longer.

I tightly squeezed Eighteen's soft hand to gain her attention. Her affectionate stare caused the butterflies in my stomach to hover a little faster than usual. I didn't need to say any words as I knelt down on my right knee and revealed to her the sparkling engagement ring. She also neglected to speak; as soon as her diamond blue eyes spotted that ring, she instantly leapt onto me and refused to let me go. It was fair to say I got the answer I longed for.

When we finally released each other from our tender embrace, I slipped the ring onto her finger. It was, thankfully, a perfect fit. At this point, we'd both lost our interest in the fireworks; we just wanted to get home and revel in the momentous occasion. But before we set off, we expressed our gratitude for each other in the best way we could, with a kiss, patient, yet passionate.

And now, after many months of planning, stress, saving, and even more stress, the day of our joyous wedding is only a day away.

To be honest, the only thing that makes me sad about tomorrow is the fact that Goku isn't alive to see it. In memory of him, I gave Gohan the honour of being my best man. Chi-Chi did well to hold back the tears when I told them why I chose him. However, although I'm sad he isn't gonna be at my wedding physically, I'm sure he'll be watching from Otherworld. If not, then he'll probably be training or doing something fighting related, as he always does.

Other than that, I have no reservations in calling tomorrow the happiest day of my life. All I hope for is that, as we head into married life together, I can be all that Eighteen needs me to be and I can give her the life she truly deserves. Because no one deserves a life filled with love, care and happiness more than my Eighteen, the love of my life.

 _ **THE END**_


	7. Acceptance

_**A PERFECT LOVE**_

 _ **A/N: SURPRISE! I've done another short K18 one-shot! This one focuses on Eighteen coming to terms with the reality that she has fallen for a certain someone. This was a pretty interesting topic to write about and I trust you will enjoy this short story.**_

 **Acceptance**

* * *

 _Feelings are frustrating..._

You can't fully trust them since they're intangible and don't present themselves with any sense of rationality. Yet, I've never encountered more powerful forces in my life. And it confuses the hell out of me.

I've often wondered if I had been made without the ability to feel emotions, would my life be significantly better? I brought such a thought to Krillin a little while ago, during one of our routine rooftop conversations. He simply chuckled at my suggestion, before adding with a discerning grin, _"_ _Well, then you wouldn't be human."_

But isn't that kinda the point? I'm not human. I had my humanity ruthlessly torn away from me by that disgusting old man, whose name I refuse to even utter. Hell, I have no recollection as to who I was thanks to that monster coming along and recreating me into whatever kind of freak I am now. I feel so angry just at the thought of what he did to me and my brother, and that annoys me!

I frequently allow myself to enter this mental spiral of trying to work out my feelings and emotions, without any sense of closure or understanding. Confusion takes over as I figure out who I'm supposed to be or what I'm supposed to feel. In the end, I just get dizzy and irritated by the seemingly unnecessary burden of emotions. That's why I keep my distance from people. That's why I choose to act coldly. I find it's much easier to repress my emotions, rather than deal with them.

At least, that's what I previously believed.

It's only up until recently that I discovered there was one evident flaw with my logic. One infuriating exception. My attempts to repress it have ended in total failure and my icy exterior quickly melts away when confronting this particular emotion. This one exception is _love_.

There's this unexplainable warmth that flickers in my heart whenever I encounter it. I used to wish I could describe this feeling so I could perceive the best way to extinguish its burning flame. But the more I invited _love's_ warmth to expand in my heart, all the mental gymnastics I had been previously putting myself through appeared all the more trivial. _Love_ is the one emotion I don't wish to understand. For whatever reason, _love_ just makes sense, even when it shouldn't.

I think back to Krillin's words he shared with me and I see his point. If I don't welcome my emotions, I'll be nothing more than a mere shell of existence. That's something I would have been more than content with before. But not anymore. Not since he's been in my life, that is.

It makes me a little sad and regretful as to how coldly I treated Krillin when I first moved into Kame House. I was needlessly mean-spirited towards him because I wrongly assumed that he looked at me the same way the rest of the world did; not human. Just an object to fawn over and then reject.

But no matter how cold I've been to him, Krillin has treated me with nothing but respect and dignity, even when I was far from deserving it. He's always made sure I've been comfortable with my unorthodox living arrangements and he's never overstepped his boundaries. I'll only ever admit to being wrong if I truly believe that I'm at fault and when it comes to Krillin, I admit that I misjudged him rather unfairly.

Granted, he does have an incredibly cheesy sense of humour and he does need to boost his self-esteem. But nevertheless, I've come to find that Krillin is a genuinely kind-hearted guy and any girl in the world would be lucky to have him. Except, I don't want anyone else to have him; I want him to be with me.

To be honest, I never thought I would ever need or even enjoy the feeling of _love_. I certainly never intended to become attracted to Krillin, let alone befriend him. I mean how absurd is it that I, a cyborg designed for destruction and terror, has fallen for a tiny monk without a nose? I guess that's just how love works.

I've finally come to accept that I'll never fully grasp the concept of my emotions. From time to time, I'll find myself getting aggravated by my feelings of aggravation. But one thing's for certain, I'm tired of fighting _love_. I welcome it. I treasure it. I am completely surrendered to it. I accept that I am in _love_ with Krillin and I want him to be mine.

Now, I gotta go find Krillin before I talk myself out of this again.

 _ **THE END**_

* * *

 _ **A/N: I am aiming to be more consistent with my K18 writing this year. But I also want to be sure I'm writing stories that my readers are interested in. So please let me know if you are enjoying my content and what ideas you would like to see me write about in future K18 one-shots.**_

 _ **Anyway, if you enjoy my work as much as I enjoy writing it, feel free to follow and favourite this story so you can be up to date with my latest work. I hope you enjoyed my latest story and until the next one, peace.**_

 _ **:)**_


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